1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a housing for an electric or electronic device having at least one electric or electronic component, part, component group and/or parts group accommodated in the interior of its receiving part and having at least one locking piece closing the receiving part.
2. Description of Related Art
In the scope of the invention, “electronic or electric device” should be understood generally. Whether an electric device or an electronic device is present, can often not be distinguished. If such a device has only—generally conventional—electric components, parts, component groups and/or parts groups, then we are generally dealing with an electric device. On the other hand, we would be dealing with an electronic device, when it has—only, almost only or mostly—electronic components, parts, component groups and/or parts groups. A functional distinction is often made between an electric device and an electronic device. Electric devices are often those, which are functionally more likely to have a conservative construction. On the other hand, it is often the case of an electronic device when there is functionally more modern construction, in particular, when it includes conductor technology in the widest sense.
In the scope of the invention, an electric or electronic device should be understood that has a multiple-unit functionality, in which two or more devices are present as it were, which complement each other functionally, the desired functional efficiency is thus only desired and achieved in cooperation of the individual devices.
The housing that is dealt with in the invention can be such that its interior accommodates all of the electric or electronic components, parts, component groups and/or parts groups required for the functional efficiency of the corresponding electric or electronic devices, that a functionally efficient electric or electronic device is constructed with the electric and/or electronic components, parts, component groups and/or parts groups provided in its interior. However, the housing that is dealt with in the invention can also be such that, in the sense of the afore-mentioned multiple-unit construction of an electric or electronic device, that the interior only receives a portion of the electric and/or electronic components, parts, component groups and/or parts groups required for the functional efficiency—so that further electric and/or electronic components, parts, component groups and/or parts groups required for function are placed elsewhere, possibly again in a corresponding housing, but possibly also at a completely different location, spatially more or less strongly separated.
It is mentioned above that the invention deals with a housing for an electric or electronic device having at least one receiving part and at least one locking part. The wording “having” is intended to make it clear that, opposed to the wording “is composed of,” a comprehensive list is not intended. The housing, which is dealt with in the invention, can thus, on the one hand, have multiple receiving parts, and on the other hand, multiple locking parts,—however, it is also possible that, in addition to one receiving part or multiple receiving parts, and in addition to one locking part or multiple locking parts, other functional parts are also included.
If the housing being discussed here has multiple receiving parts, the receiving parts can have either multiple interiors or just one interior—formed of two or more receiving parts. The realization of multiple interiors, which are then separated from one another in different manners or, respectively, can or even must be separated from one another, often depends on the application of the corresponding electric or electronic device, often also on which electric and/or electronic components, parts, component groups and/or parts groups are to be received, which voltages and which currents exist, whether electric energy is transformed substantially into heat inside of the housing and/or whether explosion protection needs to be realized in the corresponding electric or electronic device.
A housing for an electric or electronic device naturally has to be designed so that electric cables and/or wires can be lead into the housing and/or can be lead out of the housing. This possibility can be realized on the receiving part, but this can, however—and is often the case—be realized on the locking part.
If the housing being discussed here has two or more locking parts, these locking parts can be designed with functional differences. If two locking parts are provided, both locking parts can have solely the function of locking the interior of the receiving part; in this embodiment, the leading in and out of electric cables and/or wires has to be realized in the area of the receiving part. If two locking parts are realized, one locking part can have the sole function of locking the interior of the receiving part, while the second locking part can have a dual function, on the one hand, of locking the interior of the receiving part, and on the other hand, of leading in and leading out electric cables and/or wires. In the embodiment having two locking parts, both locking parts can also have the above-mentioned dual function. What is described above relating to two locking parts also applies correspondingly when more than two locking parts are realized.
In the following, the term locking part is always used when at least also the interior of the receiving part, the interior of two receiving parts or the interior of at least one receiving part—completely or partially—is locked or, respectively, closed therewith.
The spatial geometry in the housing, which is being dealt with in the invention, can be of a completely different design for the receiving part and the locking part, wherein the spatial geometry of the locking part or, respectively, locking parts naturally has to occur taking into consideration the spatial geometry of the receiving part.
Preferably, the receiving part or, respectively, the receiving parts are designed cylindrically, especially circular cylindrically. This does not rule out that the receiving part can taper on one or both sides or that the receiving part tapers on at least one side.
In a preferred embodiment of the housing, which is being dealt with in the invention, two receiving parts are realized, wherein the second receiving part is arranged like a dome on the first receiving part.
Housings for electric or electronic devices of the type being discussed here are known with different designs, in particular, from German patent application publication 101 26 654 and PCT patent application publication WO 2004/017025.
In housings of the type being discussed here, the mechanical connection of the locking part or, respectively, locking parts with the receiving part or, respectively, when multiple receiving parts are realized, the mechanical connection of the receiving parts among themselves and the connection of the locking part with a receiving part or the connection of a locking part with the receiving part occur by means of a screw connection. This is not free of disadvantages since, on the one hand, a screw connection is relatively time-consuming, and on the other hand, if screwdrivers having a defined torque are not used, the efficiency of the mechanical connection is dependent on the accurateness of whoever produced the manual connection.